Anyone moving to the country and starting a homestead is faced with how to pay the bills. After all, there aren’t many jobs in most rural areas. One option is to finance your homestead with high value, easy to grow, easy to sell crops.
gardening
Terra Preta Theory
How were the rich terra preta soils in the Amazon created (the most productive soil in the world)? Terra preta soils maintain their fertility forever. Scientists are racing to unlock the secrets to help feed a hungry planet, restore depleted topsoil and curb adverse climate change. A reader who wishes to remain anonymous sent me a summary of his theory.
Sedgwick, Maine is first town to declare total food sovereignty
Sedgwick, Maine is first town to declare total food sovereignty, opposing state and federal laws
This is the right attitude toward gaining back our basic rights, whether it’s food rights (the right to buy and sell meat, eggs and produce with neighbors) or building codes. So even though the article may seem off-topic, it’s really not.
High Tunnel Greenhouse Construction
A polytunnel (hoop) greenhouse like this would be faster and easier to build than a dome. This particular polytunnel design is low cost, strong and easy to build. A greenhouse this size would provide more than enough fruit and vegetables for one family. Instead of bending galvanized pipe for the hoop sections, consider using gray plastic pipe or electrical conduit (polybutylene). I’m not sure how durable it is, but I have seen it used on hoop houses and it would be much easier to use.
6,000 lbs of food on 1/10th acre – Urban Farm – Urban Homestead
“Since 1985 … Pioneering a journey towards self-sufficiency … One step at a time.
Over 6,000 pounds of food per year, on 1/10 acre located just 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. The Dervaes family grows over 400 species of plants, 4,300 pounds of vegetable food, 900 chicken and 1,000 duck eggs, 25 lbs of honey, plus seasonal fruits throughout the year.
Backyard Farmers by Necessity: Self-sufficient & Debt-free
“When Myrna and Earl Fincher married 53 years ago they started farming their yard “out of necessity”. Today, the Finchers make a living selling their organic produce to restaurants and at the local farmers’ market twice a week for much of the year. They had no experience as farmers, but learned by trial and error.”